Barn Find: Tito Rodriguez Classic lp: Canta y Baila / Musicor Records Puerto Rico 1964

I subscribe to a weekly online newsletter having to do with fancy foreign cars called The Classic Driver Newsletter. Occasionally it runs a story about a “barn find” meaning somebody has discoverd the rusted or not so rusted hulk of some famous marque inside an old garage or barn. One such barn find was an extremely rare and valuable Bugatti:

http://www.autoblog.com/2009/01/02/barn-find-of-the-decade-1937-bugatti-type-57s-atalante/

While Jay Leno or Ralph Lauren may have gone running for their pocketbooks to purchase this car, or a more recent barn find of a Mercedes 300 SL Gullwing, I’ll content myself with more humble pursuits, involving occasional discoveries of old lp’s I didn’t even know I had. I heard a version of an old Tito Rodriguez song “Fue en Santiago” (It Happened in Santiago) by the Latin Stars of the Palladium. I listened to that version, plus a version on the Fania All Stars Tribute to Tito Rodriguez. Then I looked in my cd collection of Tito Rodriguez, including the excellent collection “Inolvidable” (Unforgettable). The song wasn’t on any of the cd’s I then went to the lp barn, which went on a diet when I moved last summer, and to my utter surprise and delight I discovered the original lp, Canta y Baila. This original version (released 1964) proved better than any other. I can’t even find an online image of the cover art, though I did notice that the vintage lp is selling for $30 on ebay. I did, however, find another lp it’s on (see image below). The track, about a Chilean woman that got away, is also on itunes. It also proved, once again, that Tito Rodriguez is lo mas sublime, lo mas suave, of all the great mambo singers.

Here’s that wonderful song, “Fue en Santiago” …..the woman who got away…..one night in Santiago…. [audio:http://blogs.kcrw.com/music/wp-content/uploads/2012/04/09-Fue-En-Santiago.mp3|titles=09 Fue En Santiago]